


Fringe vs Avengers

by poetrythroughprose



Category: Fringe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-09 22:37:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1151632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetrythroughprose/pseuds/poetrythroughprose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olivia Dunham argues with Tony Stark, Steve Rogers befriends Astrid, Bruce Banner fanboys over Walter Bishop, Ella Dunham interviews Natasha Romanaov, and Peter Bishop and Clint Barton hang out. When the Fringe Division and The Avengers have to work together to save the world, personalities clash and grudging friendships are born.</p><p>A non-chronological series of Fringe and Avengers drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First meeting

Tony Stark looked Olivia Dunham up and down: smart black suit, long blonde hair, a no-nonsense expression, and a Glock 19 pistol held confidently with both hands. With a shrug, he turned away from her.

"Eh, I’ve seen worse," he remarked casually. “How much harm can you actually do?"

The lights in the workroom flickered briefly, and Tony could have sworn a few of his inanimate tools jittered for a moment. As soon as he turned his head to look at them, they stopped moving.

Agent Dunham holstered her gun, her expression hard.

"Mr. Stark, you have no  _idea_ what I can do."


	2. A bout

"Hey, Dunham! Want a go?"

Olivia looked up from the files she was showing to Virginia “Pepper” Potts. For some reason, Tony Stark had insisted on doing some afternoon boxing at his own mini-boxing rink, and since Ms. Potts was determined to have a certain conversation with him, she had followed him to the room. And since Olivia was determined to get some signatures from Ms. Potts, she had followed her to the room as well. Spending more time with Tony Stark than she had to was not her idea of a pleasant experience, but she was there to talk to the CEO of Stark Industries, and that CEO was there to talk to Tony.

Which was why they were all in the sweat-smelling room while Tony did some boxing with Harold “Happy” Hogan, former valet and bodyguard for Stark and now head of security for Stark Industries. Apparently, Tony wanted a new challenger, which led to his offer to Olivia.

Olivia, sitting in one of the chairs next to Pepper, raised her eyebrows at Tony.

"Mr. Stark," she said dryly, "as much as I would love to box with you, I’m in the middle of something important."

Tony bounced up and down, clearly anticipating a fight.

"Come on, just one quick bout. It’ll make you feel better! Pepper’s busy reading all of the fine print, anyway, right?"

The redheaded woman waved this away, her eyes still on the files.

"Don’t bring  _me_  into the middle of this,” she replied distractedly. When Olivia looked at her, the CEO met her gaze and whispered behind the folder, “Kick his ass.”

Good God. This company. If Stark Industries wasn’t such an important funder and supplier of the Fringe Divison…Olivia rolled her eyes and stood up, shrugging out of her suit jacket and rolling up the sleeves of her white cotton business shirt. Tony, seeing that she had wordlessly agreed to his challenge, stepped backwards, still moving to keep ready.

“‘Atta girl! Now I know you trigger-happy guys in the X-Files Division-“

"Fringe Divison."

"-don’t get a lot of hand-to-hand combat experience, but-"

With a dull thud, Olivia’s first plowed into Tony’s face, catching him by surprise. He recovered quickly though, dodging the agent’s next punch and responding with a sharp jab at her side, which she blocked with her forearm. When Tony struck at her other side, Olivia dodged his punch, seized his wrist, then  _twisted_  it, forcing the man to his knees.

With her other hand, the agent pointed her index finger and thumb in a “hand gun” at Tony.

"If I used my gun, this would be a lot different," she told him matter-of-factly.

From the ground, Mr. Stark just grinned.

"If I had my Iron Man suit, this would be a lot different," he retorted. Olivia thought about this for a moment, then nodded. She released Tony’s wrist, then helped him get back to his feet.

"I think it depends on what kind of gun I was using," she commented, as Tony caught the icebag that Happy thew him, and applied it to his eye. At her remark, Tony raised an eyebrow.

"A gun that can shoot through reinforced armored plating?" he asked skeptically. "Stark Industries doesn’t build those."

Olivia slipped on her suit jacket, then picked up the signed documents from Pepper. Before she left the room, she said over her shoulder, “Who said we got them from Stark Industries?”

Tony stared at the agent’s retreating back, looked at Pepper - who shrugged - then looked back at Olivia, who was already out the door. Still clutching the icebag to his eye, Tony fast-walked after the Fringe agent, peppering her with questions.

"Wait a minute, who’s supplying you with those weapons? Is it Massive Dynamic? Because they shouldn’t be trusted with that tech. Who gave it to them? Did they develop it themselves?"

With a small smile, Pepper watched him go.

"Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Potts?"

"Schedule a visit to New York. I need to pay Nina Sharp a visit."


	3. Tony's arc

After the infamous alien invasion that had nearly been avoided thanks to the Avengers, New York City was in ruins. Well, not all of it. Somehow, through sheer good luck, the Massive Dynamic building stood almost perfectly intact. As she approached the building accompanied by Walter and Peter, Olivia glanced around at the nearby building renovations.

Not that Walter or Peter seemed to notice. Walter, who was fidgeting even as they crossed the expansive pure white lobby, was obviously not looking forward to the yearly meeting that he was required to attend. The scientist was rearranging his bow tie and tweed coat, while Peter tried to calm him down.

"Peter, I’m telling you, I’m perfectly fine! I’ve done much worse things, I’m not nervous in the least. In fact, there was one time in the 70’s when-"

Peter just shook his head and steered his father towards the elevators, giving Olivia an exasperated look that clearly said he couldn’t wait until it was all over. As her cell phone went off, Olivia turned away, hiding a grin. She glanced at it before picking up - it was Broyles - and gave her usual one-word greeting.

"Dunham."

"Are you and the Bishops already at Massive Dynamic?"

Olivia glanced at the father and son. Walter was squinting at the lights that counted the descension of the nearest elevator, and Peter was watching his father warily. Olivia had the feeling Peter was probably listening in to her conversation.

"Yes, we’re in the building," she said, turning her attention back to the conversation. “Walter’s meeting is going to start in fifteen minutes, and I have to talk to Nina. Why?"

"Cancel your plans; the three of you are needed for something else. We’re sending someone for the Bishops to look at. Nina said there’s a lab on the 47th floor that’s available."

Olivia looked over at Peter, who was now watching her, having heard Broyles’ orders. The three of them entered a nearby elevator as it opened, and Peter hit the button for floor 47. Walter didn’t seem to notice.

"Where did you get the body?" Olivia asked, as the elevator began to rise. Walter - who had calmed down - was now humming.

"It’s not a corpse," Broyles assured her. “It’s someone unconscious who needs immediate help."

Peter, who was still looking at her, raised his eyebrows questioningly. Olivia just shook her head in response. Broyles was purposefully withholding information from her, fully aware that if he gave away too much, she would demand more answers. Then again, he also knew that if he didn’t tell her anything, she would just keep asking more questions.

"Sir,  _who is it_?"

There was a pause on the other end, and she pictured the look on Broyles’ face when he was trying to determine how much information to tell her. It was one of her least favorite expressions from her boss.

Finally, he spoke.

"Are the Bishops familiar with arc reactor technology?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure what happened to Tony, but I’m going with something along the lines of: he was in a fight somewhere on the east coast, and his arc reactor got damaged, so before he passed out he headed to the nearest place with a suitable lab - Massive Dynamic. Walter, Peter, and Olivia happened to be there, and Walter and Peter are the resident genii, so everyone thought it was a good idea to let them have a go at fixing Tony.


	4. Suit up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 3 of the Battle of New York. Part 2 is "The Invasion", Part 3 is "Suspended Collision".

The first thing Olivia saw upon departing the plane was Brandon Fayette, one of Massive Dynamic’s leading scientists. The young man, who had lost his lab coat in favor of a bullet-proof vest, was flanked by two heavily-armed Massive Dynamic guards. Two black armored SUVs were parked behind them.

 "Agent Dunham."

 Olivia descended the steps and shook the scientist’s hand, smiling grimly. Everyone wore determined expressions. Behind them, far in the distance, smoke rose from Manhattan amid the sound of explosions. According to Broyles, the Massive Dynamic building hadn’t yet been damaged, but it was just a matter of time.

 "Thanks for meeting us, Brandon." The two of them, trailed by Peter and Astrid, strode towards the two cars. "Nina and Broyles debriefed me, but they’re not in the warzone. What’s the situation over there?"

 Brandon glanced at the Manhattan skyline. His normally excited manner was gone, replaced with a seriousness that Olivia had never seen before.

 "Not good," he replied darkly, as they stopped in front of the cars. "We evacuated everyone we could from the building. We did manage to get a few things for your team, though."

 At his nod, the two Massive Dynamic guards opened the trunk of the nearest SUV and flipped open a heavy black briefcase. Inside were four black bulletproof vests stamped with the letters “FBI” in bright yellow. Another briefcase held high-tech, black, two-barreled guns that Olivia had only seen once before. As Brandon handed Olivia, Peter, and Astrid the vests and weapons, he relayed his instructions.

 "These vests aren’t your typical bulletproof vests," he explained, as the three of them strapped them on. "I’d go into the specifics, but let’s just say that they’ll give you extra protection from what you’re going to face out there." The three of them glanced at each other, eyebrows raised, as the scientist continued, "Use these weapons. Ordinary guns won’t work against the Chitauri, so we’re lending you these Shockwave prototypes." As the three of them inspected the futuristic guns, Brandon added, "Don’t lose them. Try not to damage them. It’ll take years to get these on the market, and they’re priceless. They work similar to the weapons you use in your division. Turn off the safety, aim, and shoot. They’re powerful, so make sure not to hit any civilians. But they’ll take down a Chitauri."

 Peter inspected his own gun, frowning.

 "We’ve seen these before. I’ve  _used_  one of these before.”

 Astrid nodded. “A few years ago, a hitman used one of these to try to kill two people, including an Observer.”

 "We were told that the technicians couldn’t get one to work," Olivia told Brandon, who shrugged.

 "Well,  _we_  did.”

 "Why doesn’t the NYPD have these?" Olivia asked, holstering her gun. "If they’re using regular pistols, they don’t stand a chance."

 Brandon shook his head and walked around to the front seat of the SUV as one of the guards shut the trunk. As Olivia, Peter, and Astrid got into the car with him, he explained, “Like I said, these are valuable prototypes. We can’t let our competitors get a hold of these, or we lose years of R and D.” When Olivia opened her mouth to argue, Peter silently placed a hand on her knee, stopping her from giving a sharp retort. He shook his head at her rebellious look.  _Not now_ , he seemed to be saying.

 During the car ride into Manhattan, which was almost completely blocked off, Brandon relayed the rest of his instructions to the Fringe team. They would be joined by another team, courtesy of Massive Dynamic, though he didn’t say who the team was comprised of, only that they were trained for something like this, and they were equipped with extra Shockwave weapons. He would drop the Fringe team off as close to the fighting as possible, provide them with motorcycles to get closer to the action, and let them do their work. Broyles had given Olivia her instructions; Massive Dynamic was only there to equip them.

 Olivia stared out of the window, processing Brandon’s words as her mind worked busily. She had no intention of keeping the Shockwave guns to her team. Screw Brandon and the corporation. If she saw someone who needed help, she was going to help them to the best of her ability.

The trip from Boston, although courtesy of Massive Dynamic’s fastest plane, had taken too long. In the brief time it had taken them to get over to Manhattan, untold destruction had occurred. The Fringe Division needed a branch in New York, and they needed to be better equipped for situations like this. They needed a deal to make Massive Dynamic one of their weapons suppliers. The corporation already provided them with other technology, but Fringe needed a weapons deal as well, to make it easier for them to acquire the right equipment quickly in times of need.

As soon as Brandon had finished talking, Olivia was on the phone with Broyles, gathering the latest news and information, and discussing her ideas. He agreed to the weapons deal with Massive Dynamic, as well as the need for a New York branch of the Fringe Division. The only requirement, he added, was that Olivia would be in charge of the creation of the new branch.

Olivia glanced at Astrid and Peter, who were looking outside but listening in to the conversation. They were gripping their new guns, their faces apprehensive but determined.

"All right," she told Broyles. "But only if I bring my team."

"Done."

A moment later, their SUV was getting closer to the drop-off point. Civilians were streaming away from the center of the chaos, looking terrified, shell-shocked, and ragged. Some of them sported injuries. Olivia switched to the radio attached to her shoulder and began relaying instructions for additional ambulances and emergency vehicles to pick up the injured bystanders. It was a few more minutes before they spotted a Chitauri, which flew high above them in the distance, pursuing a streak of red and gold.

As they pulled up to the drop-off point, Peter found Olivia’s hand and squeezed it. It had begun.


	5. Giants walk the earth

It was one of those nights when Olivia Dunham couldn’t sleep. She was no stranger to that, but she thought that after years in the Fringe Division, she was over sleepless nights. Maybe the first couple of months she’d had restless nights. But after awhile, her day job became normal to her, and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. There were days when there was an exception, but they were rare, especially after she’d moved in with Peter. She finally felt like she was content.

But then the Chitauri invasion on New York had happened, and once again she felt like her life had turned upside-down. As if everything she thought she knew was wrong. As if everything she thought she could control was uncontrollable. Shapeshifters, alternate universes, multiple timelines – she could deal with that. But alien invasions from outer space…well, that was a completely different matter. After that, she knew that her world was overwhelmingly not prepared for an attack like that. If it weren’t for the Avengers’ help, the world might have fallen under alien control.

She couldn’t let that happen.

So she found herself spearheading Fringe efforts to counterbalance the otherworldly forces that were capable of mass genocide and attack. Of course there were other government groups doing the same thing; Broyles had briefed her on the secret government division called S.H.I.E.L.D. But goddamn it if she couldn’t do her own part. That meant leading the launch of a new branch of Fringe in New York City, not far from Massive Dynamic, which became their primary supplier of weapons and technology.

It also meant establishing relations with the Avengers, who were informally linked to SHIELD and extremely disorganized. They came from all over the world – and in Thor’s case, another world – which made it hard to communicate with them as a group. It became easier to manage relations with them together after Tony Stark renovated his Stark Tower and converted it into the Avengers Tower, but there were plenty of problems still involved.

For one thing, despite their shady link to SHIELD - of which two of the Avengers were part of – the team had no official leader. Captain America, a natural leader and tactician, was the de facto leader when it came to being in the field, but when it came to human relations with civilians, the media, and the government, Steve Rogers had no clue. Tony Stark had somewhat taken over that area, which meant that Olivia had to deal with him. She was no fan of Tony Stark, but if he was the face and voice of the Avengers, then he was the one she had to deal with. Besides, she was half-convinced that the only reason why the Avengers had relations with Fringe was because of Tony’s immense respect for Walter’s work. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner had been almost giddy with anticipation at meeting the Einstein of the previous generation. The others didn’t share the delight, but they readily accepted Fringe assistance when needed.

Working with the Avengers meant that Olivia frequently spent her time at the Avengers Tower, since Tony Stark did not like to make visits to other places, including the Fringe headquarters. He insisted that if they had to have meetings, they would have to meet at the Avengers Tower. Besides, he would always add, imagine cramming Thor into a car to drive through the city. Thor preferred to fly, but the Fringe Division (among other places) did not like it when gods landed on the roof, usually wrecking the surface in the process.

Which was why Olivia found herself at Avengers Tower at two in the morning. She’d had a long day of meetings and writing reports, and before she knew it, it was already eight at night and she was too tired to drive out of the city and back home in the suburbs. There was a spare room at Avengers Tower, and Peter could take care of Etta for the night. Olivia hated not coming home since she was always gone during the day and couldn’t see her daughter until the evening, but Etta had Peter to be there with her. With Olivia’s promotion and increase in work, Peter had reduced his own work hours in order to take care of Etta, even though they had a nanny during the day on weekdays. But Olivia always felt a nagging sense of guilt and anxiousness when she was gone from Etta for too long. It was an irrational and unfounded feeling, but constant. As if she couldn’t let Etta go. As if she’d already let her go before, and never wanted to again.

* * *

 

Wide awake, Olivia tossed around on her bed. She kept thinking about the Chitauri invasion. Would something like that ever happen again? Were they doing enough to prevent it? She’d researched the other incidents over the past couple of years – the giant robot leveling an entire town, the Hulk destroying part of New York City, bombings that had occurred because of the Mandarin, freak accidents amid another attempted alien invasion in London. Those events kept her up at night, constantly worrying that there was nothing anyone could do to prevent them from happening. Sure, the Avengers were good in a tight spot, but they weren’t always there. The world couldn’t depend on them.

After an hour, Olivia gave up on sleep. Slipping on her shoes, she picked up her laptop then headed to the elevator to go to the room that doubled as her office in the tower. There were always reports to be written. The glass doors of the elevator soundlessly slid apart when she pressed the button to go up, and Olivia entered. After hitting the button, she waited patiently as the elevator smoothly ascended. Each floor was a dark blur as the elevator passed by, but a flash of light caught her eye. Olivia glanced up at the number above the doors, then switched her floor of destination. Somebody was awake on one of the top floors.

It was one of the Research and Development floors that was still alight. The entire floor was one giant, white-tiled studio where the best minds at Stark Industries toiled away at computers and tinkered with technology. The room was usually dark at night, but now the farthest corner of the room was dimly lit with a few lights. Olivia padded into the room, squinting at the corner. It was too far for her to see who it was, but she could tell that the person was moving around, working on something. As she approached, however, she could see that it was Tony Stark. Pieces of an Iron Man suit were laid on the tabletop in front of him. He seemed to be adjusting them, his back to her.

“Agent Dunham.” Tony didn’t even turn around when he greeted her. Olivia was about to ask how he knew it was her, when she realized that JARVIS must have told him. Handy, to have a personal assistant around all of the time.

“Stark. Couldn’t sleep?”

She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, “And waste all of this time when the tech guys aren’t here?”

Olivia sat down at a nearby desk and placed her laptop on the surface.

“Me neither.”

She flipped her laptop open, opened up her latest file, and began working on it as Tony continued his own work. They continued to work separately in silence for a minute, before Tony suddenly said, “Hey, JARVIS? Turn on the news, will you?”

A holographic screen appeared next to Tony’s work desk and began to broadcast CNN. It was some inane piece about the rise in people converting to cults; one of the mindless bits of “reporting” that CNN had fallen to since it had started broadcasting 24/7. Olivia was about to voice her complaint, when something she heard made her pause and look up.

It was a series of interviews of civilians, people who the interviewers supposedly just stopped on the street. The piece was exploring the possibility that the massive events that had been happening over the last couple of years – including the invasion on New York – were advancing the increase in the popularity of cults because of the population’s escalating feeling of fear and lack of control. The only interviews shown were ones in which the interviewees’ statements supported the piece’s theory. This wasn’t what caught Olivia’s attention, however; what did catch her attention was one word: Avengers.

“What if the Avengers turn bad?” Olivia’s head whipped up. On the screen, two twenty-something girls in matching yoga outfits were looking earnestly at the interviewer. “What if one day they decided not to save our asses and just – I don’t know – do bad stuff? Who could stop them?”

“They’re like giants.” This was an older man in his forties. His gaze was somber. “Giants walking the earth.”

“Heh.” Olivia glanced at Tony, who was smiling slightly as he listened to the interview. He didn’t seem the least perturbed by the suspicious sentiments of the interviewees.

“What is it?” Olivia asked, sitting back in her chair. As the Avengers’ rep, Tony had to be feeling slightly worried about this. Even if it came from late-night CNN. The billionaire made some kind of motion with one hand, and the TV screen disappeared. When Olivia repeated her question, Tony just shook his head, his eyes still on his work.

“That last guy? What he said just reminded me of something I read once.” He adopted a low, imperious voice. “‘Every year they grow smaller. Every year they hate us more. We must not remind them that giants walk the earth.’” When Olivia just stared at him, Tony finally glanced up at her. “It was in a superhero comic, all right? Cheesy stuff.” He shrugged dismissively.

Olivia wasn’t sure whether it was proper to laugh over the fact that Tony Stark read superhero comic books. Maybe that’s where he got his love for the extravagant.

“Do you ever worry about what people think of the Avengers?” she asked curiously, her eyes on the billionaire. “Not just the good, but the bad.”

Tony shrugged again.

“The fanmail? JARVIS goes through that.”

“I'm serious,” the agent replied firmly. “There are people – not just the ones on CNN – who are wary about the Avengers. Have you seen the newspapers?” She leaned forward. “You’ve got the Hulk on your team. You saw what happened to New York.”

Tony set his tools down with a clatter as he finally looked up to meet Olivia’s gaze.

“So what do you want me to do, apologize for it?” he demanded. “We did the best we could with the tools we had. Destroying half of New York wasn’t really part of our plan.”

“So show it,” Olivia suggested. “Stop throwing your weight around. Stop acting like gods, and more like people.” Tony stared at her. “People can idolize  _and_  demonize you. If you act above them, they’ll fear you. But if you show that you’re one of them, they won’t.”

Shaking his head, Tony looked away.

“I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation,” he said, turning away in disgust. “Actually,” he continued, turning back around to face Olivia, “I’m glad we are. Because I want to get this straight:  _the Avengers saved the planet_. If it weren’t for us, everybody-” he made a wide gesture “-would be rubble by now. If people can’t muster up a little gratitude for that, it’s not my problem.”

Olivia rubbed her temples tiredly.

“That’s not the point; the people have to trust you. They might see your abilities as dangerous.”

Tony threw up his hands in disbelief.

“Oh so we’re dangerous now?” he said loudly. "Who’s going to save your asses the next time a crisis happens?”

“We are.” Olivia’s voice was quiet. She caught Tony’s gaze and held it steadily. “We, the people. We have to save ourselves.”

 “You can’t,” Tony replied, his voice filled with certainty.

“We can,” Olivia countered calmly. “The Avengers just have to show us the way.” Tony looked away, shaking his head, and Olivia sighed. “Look, I’m not your PR person-”

“No, you’re not,” Tony interrupted sharply. He still wasn’t looking at her. “You’re the liaison, and that’s it. Work on your own PR.”

If there was any line of dismissal, that was it. Olivia abruptly shut her laptop, picked it up, and left the room. There wasn’t anything else she could say to convince Tony to see her way. She was certain that eventually, if they continued to go about casually causing destruction in their cause to save the world, people would turn on the Avengers. It took only one mistake. The masses put them up on a pedestal, but they could damn well tear them down as well. Tony was convinced that his methods would work forever, and that the Avengers could save the world every time, but he was wrong. The world couldn’t depend on the Avengers to save them every time. They had to be inspired to save themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I sort of predicted the anti-Avenger theme from Age of Ultron and Civil War.


	6. The invasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Part 2 of 3 of the Battle of New York. Part 1 can be found earlier, under the name "Suit Up". Part 3 is "Suspended Collision".

It was hard to recognize New York, which had become a veritable battleground. Skyscrapers, museums, stores, and restaurants were reduced to rubble, surrounded by burning cars, taxis, and buses that were littered along the streets or in piles. Smoke choked the air in the worst-hit areas, and once in awhile they passed clumps of terrified civilians hiding in buildings, or trying to help others trapped in debris or wreckages. Olivia took it all in with a clenched jaw and tight expression, her hands balled into fists.

As the two SUVs pulled into a side street, they saw that there were three civilians waiting for them, backed by six Massive Dynamic guards and three New York FBI agents. Behind them were sturdy-looking motorcycles inscribed with the Massive Dynamic logo. The guards toted Shockwave weapons and hovered protectively behind the three civilians, eyes roving warily over their surroundings.

It wasn’t until they were closer and Olivia had gotten a closer look at the group, did she recognize the civilians. They were former Cortexiphan subjects – Sally Clark, Nick Lane, and James Heath – who in another timeline had helped Olivia and Walter to cross over to the alternate universe and save Peter. In this timeline, events had unfolded differently. Olivia had looked up their files after she’d forgotten the current timeline – Sally, Nick, and James had gone through the Cortexiphan trials, but not for long. The briefness of their experimentation meant that they had adapted to normal life better than their counterparts in the former timeline – the one Olivia and Peter remembered.

But they had been recruited by David Robert Jones in order to merge the two universes. They had been personally trained to hone and control their individual abilities, brainwashed to believe that they were fighting against an enemy universe, and sent on their missions. As far as Olivia knew, they had been taken into FBI custody after Jones’ mission had failed. It seemed that, just in the previous timeline, Massive Dynamic had recruited them for their own purposes.

Olivia didn’t like it. She eyed them wearily as the SUV pulled up to the group. The three civilians stood closely together, faces set determinedly, but their eyes betrayed them – their eyes were wide and their eyebrows knitted in anxiety. They constantly shifted their stances, glancing around at the sound of every explosion nearby. Unlike the others, they weren’t equipped with Shockwave weapons, though they wore bullet-proof vests.

Olivia switched to her earphone communicator, ready to give her boss an earful. It seemed Broyles had already anticipated her protests, however.

“Sir-”

“Dunham, I know you don’t want Lane, Clark, and Heath in the danger zone.”

“Sir, that’s an understatement. They’re civilians.”

“And they’re also fully trained by Massive Dynamic. They’ve been unbrainwashed, and taught to use their abilities for useful purposes.”

“I don’t think Massive Dynamic was preparing them for this.”

“I don’t think _anyone_ was prepared for this, Dunham. This isn’t their first missions; they’re prepared. They have Massive Dynamic guards to protect them, and the agents are at your disposal. Just direct them where to go and what to do.”

“…yes, sir.” As the Fringe agents disembarked from their SUVs, Olivia added, “Anything else I should know?”

There was a short silence, which sounded suspiciously as if Broyles was deciding what to tell her and what to withhold. Then-

“There are others fighting against the Chitauri. They have their own mission. Don’t get in their way, but help them if they need it. They’ve got the bigger picture, but you concentrate on what’s happening on the ground.”

Olivia didn’t pursue the subject. It was impossible to argue with Broyles on the spot, but as soon as she had more time, she would let him know her displeasure. She always did hate being kept in the dark. Peter and Astrid had been hanging back, waiting for Olivia to finish receiving her orders. Now, as she looked up, they raised their eyebrows in question. Brandon and the Massive Dynamic escorts and drivers hadn’t even left the car.

As Olivia was turning to speak to Brandon, the sound of a reverberating BOOM blasted her ears. The agent stumbled, hand shooting out to brace herself against the side of the SUV, as the noise was followed by a deafening, almost animalistic roar of fury. She clenched her eyes shut as if it would block out the sound, and her hand clenched into a fist. There were two deafening thuds against the ground – footsteps.

“OLIVIA? OLIVIA?”

Peter’s voice boomed in her ears like explosions, and Olivia opened her eyes to see him standing next to her, eyebrows knitted in concern. Behind him, Astrid was hovering between them and the rest of the group to shield them from view. Before Peter could speak again, Olivia held out her hand to stop him. For a moment she stood there, holding her breath, as the sounds of explosions and fighting on the other side of the city died down to background noise once more.

She looked up at Peter.

“I’m fine,” she told him automatically before he could ask. “Just – give me a second.” As Peter and Astrid stared at her, worried, the agent took a deep breath and scuffed her shoe against the ground. When her ears picked up only a muffled sound, she relaxed.

Her two friends were still staring at her, but Olivia simply shook her head. _Not now_ , her expression said. Turning away, she walked over to Brandon’s window and waited until he’d lowered it. The bullet-proof glass slid down an inch, then stopped.

“I assume Agent Broyles briefed you?” the scientist asked, gaze flicking over to the former Cortexiphan subjects. He obviously already knew them; his eyes were busily analyzing them and picking up observations.

Olivia’s mouth tightened.

“Yes, he did.” She hefted her Shockwave gun. “Thanks for the equipment and the ride; we’ll take it from here.”

Brandon didn’t waste time.

“Good luck,” he remarked, his window already closing. As Olivia, Peter, and Astrid walked over to the group, the SUVs zoomed away. Almost imperceptibly, Peter’s hand brushed Olivia’s. At the sight of the three of them striding over with steely expressions, sporting FBI-emblazoned bulletproof vests and grasping large high-tech weapons, the small group straightened to attention. Olivia took the lead.

“I’m Agent Olivia Dunham from the Fringe Division,” she announced, her eyes focusing on each individual. “This is Agent Bishop and Agent Farnsworth. We’re here to supplement the NYPD’s efforts to minimize the damage and danger to civilians. Agent Broyles and Dr. Fayette have told me your abilities; I’m here to make sure they’re put to good use in saving people’s lives.”

She paused, her gaze meeting Nick Lane’s. He was watching her carefully. Of the three Cortexiphan subjects, he looked the most resolute. When she looked at him, he gave her a small, dry smile. _You’ll wish you’d killed me_ , he’d once told her. Olivia still hoped she never would. He remembered their bond, at least.

One of the New York FBI agents stepped forward and offered her hand to Olivia, who shook it. The agent was slightly taller, with smooth black hair pulled into a tight bun like Olivia’s. Her dark eyes were grave.

“Agent Dunham, I’m Agent Chen, and these are Agents Greene and Jessup.” The two other agents – one a dark-skinned and tall man, and the other a tan and short woman – shook Olivia’s hand. Olivia could feel Peter’s stare; they both remembered Agent Amy Jessup from the former timeline, when she helped them on several cases around New York. They had fallen out of touch with her when they had returned to Boston. In this timeline, she didn’t seem to know either of them.

“Good to have you working with us, agents,” Olivia replied, smiling grimly. “I was told you three were picked for your levelheadedness and extensive field experience; your help will be invaluable.”

Olivia scanned the rest of the group, plans falling into place and commands forming in her mind. She looked at James Heath.

“James, you’ll be joining the closest medivac station,” she told him. “Help the worst-injured victims.” She held his gaze for a moment as he stared at her. “I know you’ll want to heal them completely,” she added, more quietly, “but just use enough energy to put them out of immediate danger. You’ll save more lives that way.” He nodded.

“Sally will accompany any police or firefighters to help put out the worst fires,” Olivia continued, catching the woman’s eye. “Don’t get too close to the fighting, and use just enough energy to make the fires manageable. It’s important that you keep your strength; we’ll be at this for awhile. And Nick-”

She turned back to him. “Nick, you’ll help with civilian control. There are police units trying to evacuate people from the danger zone and out of the city; calm everyone down so they don’t panic.” Olivia addressed the rest of the group. “The three of you will split up and take two Massive Dynamic guards each. You can all make the NYPD’s lives easier, and let them focus on the fighting.”

“Agents Bishop, Farnsworth, and I will be going closer to the danger zone to help the police rescue any trapped civilians; we’ll be accompanied by Agents Chen, Jessup, and Greene. Massive Dynamic’s equipped us with communicators – use them to stay in touch. I’ll be sending more instructions. Know your limits. Look out for each other. Help when you can, but be safe.” For a moment, Olivia gazed somberly at the group. They stared back at her, still apprehensive but more steadfast with her guidance.

“Good luck.”

For a second, her vision zoomed in and magnified. She could see the small beads of sweat dripping down the side of their faces, the tiny lines of stress at the corners of their eyes, the slight shaking of their hands. Then she blinked, and it was gone.


	7. Suspended collision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of 3 of the Battle of New York. Part 1 is "Suit Up", Part 2 is "The Invasion".

_…the sound of a reverberating BOOM blasted her ears. The agent stumbled, hand shooting out to brace herself against the side of the SUV, as the noise was followed by a deafening, almost animalistic roar of fury. She clenched her eyes shut as if it would block out the sound, and her hand clenched into a fist […] For a moment she stood there, holding her breath, as the sounds of explosions and fighting on the other side of the city died down to background noise once more._

* * *

 

Peter waited until they were on their motorcycles and zooming closer to the danger zone, before he questioned her.

“Olivia – what’s going on? What happened earlier?” His voice, carrying through their communicators, was quiet but clear. Olivia mulled the question over before finally answering.

“My hearing and vision fluctuated. I heard some of the noise in the danger zone as if I was there myself.”

“Has this happened before?”

Olivia winced as realization washed over her.

“Not since the William Bell incident. Not since my Cortexiphan ran out.”

The implication of Olivia’s words lingered in the silence between them as they dodged burning cars and half-destroyed buildings. The closer they came to the action, the worse the damage. Fortunately, it seemed that the police had ordered civilians to stay off the streets; they saw very few people, until they approached the center of the conflict. The air was filled with dust, the ground covered in dirt and – Olivia saw with a stab of trepidation – spots of blood. The sound of explosions, shouts, and inhuman shrieks grew louder.

As they neared a five-car pileup that was consumed in fire, Olivia dispatched Sally Clark to help some nearby firefighters reduce the flames. James Heath had already headed to the largest medivac station to start healing, and once Olivia had realized that the police were directing civilians underground to escape, she sent Nick Lane to calm their turbulent emotions.

After one block, they began to see the bodies – human and Chitauri. It took all of Olivia’s willpower not to stop and move the human remains, but she pressed on with a tightening feeling in her chest. Another block later, and they had their second glimpse of a live Chitauri, who was shot down from the sky from some unknown source, and nearly missed crashing into Peter’s motorcycle. Chitauri sightings became more and more common as they drove on. Once, when two on flying machines turned to pursue the agents, Astrid shot them out of the air with her Shockwave weapon. They dropped out of the sky and thudded into the ground as the agents drove on.

Soon, Olivia’s eyes picked up a stranded car surrounded by six Chitauri. Inside were two adults and two children – a family. The agent changed directions and headed towards the group.

“Trapped family on our left.”

As the six Fringe and FBI agents approached, motorcycles rumbling, a few of the Chitauri looked around and raised their weapons. As the weapons began to glow, Olivia’s eyes widened.

“Move!”

The six of them veered to avoid the barrage of blue blasts just in time. Turning hard, Olivia circled around the Chitauri and gave them a wide berth before turning around again to pause and face them. The others did the same, forming a wider circle around the Chitauri, who all switched their attention to the agents. As their reptilian features became fully visible, Olivia felt a chill run down her spine. An alien army. She’d thought she’d seen it all through the Fringe Division, but this was something different.

For a moment, she felt transported to the first time she’d experienced the horrors of fringe science – the plane full of skeletons with melted tissue. It had been nothing like she’d ever seen. The dread that she had felt – the feeling of a new, unknown, and dangerous beginning – was one that she did not relish. She was suddenly hyperaware of her quickened breathing, her heart pounding in her ears, and her vision narrowing to focus on the alien weapons.

Then one of them gave a shriek of fury, and Olivia snapped back to reality.

“Avoid the civilians!” she shouted. “Fire!”

They opened fire on the Chitauri. Despite Olivia’s initial apprehension, her aim was true as always; she squeezed the trigger on the Shockwave gun, and energy shot from the double barrels. It hit her target squarely in the torso with a surprising amount of force, and knocked it five feet back, where it collapsed to the ground.

Within minutes, the surrounded Chitauri were knocked down. Olivia ran to the car with barely a glance at the aliens. Inside the vehicle, the unconscious father was draped over the wheel, while the mother pacified the two young children. They were all covered in cuts and bruises, and looked shell-shocked – clearly, they had crashed and been surrounded before they could escape.

“We’re FBI,” Olivia told the family soothingly as they stared at her, wide-eyed. “We’re here to help. Hold on; we’ll help you get out.” At the sound of snarls, the agent turned around to see five Chitauri running towards them from a side street. Unbeknownst to the danger, Astrid was taking a picture of a Chitauri to send to Walter in Boston, while Peter and the three FBI agents ran over to the car to help. As one of the Chitauri raised its weapon towards Agent Greene, Olivia whipped up her gun and shot it straight in the chest. The blast hurled the alien back against one of the motorcycles, leaving a deep dent. Alerted to the danger, the other agents turned and began the firefight in earnest. In the car, the two children began to cry.

“Astrid, Agent Greene – help the family get to safety,” Olivia ordered, ducking behind the car and returning fire. “The rest of us will cover you. Head to the nearest subway station and go underground.”

Wisely, the family didn’t hesitate. As Agent Greene carried the father over his shoulder, Astrid shepherded the mother and children out of the car as the other agents exchanged fire with the Chitauri. By the time the aliens had been brought down, the family was gone.

It was only the first of many rescues that the six agents performed, and firefights that they became embroiled in. After the third fight, Olivia made a mental note to ask Massive Dynamic for a contract for more of the Shockwave guns. The weapons were extremely effective against the Chitauri; with them, the agents could level the playing field against the aliens, who were stronger, bigger, and far more numerous than the humans.

Eventually, however, they split up into smaller groups in their race to save as many civilians as possible from the destruction that the Chitauri were wreaking. As they made their way towards the center of the conflict, the civilian body count increased, as did the number of skirmishes against the Chitauri. Olivia knew that her body must have been exhausted, and somewhere along the way she had collected a handful of cuts and bruises; but with the constant fights and adrenaline running through her veins, fatigue was temporarily held at bay.

Amid the chaos and commotion, the agent saw glimpses of what Broyles had called “the others” who had their own mission. They were mere flashes – a woman with a shock of red hair zooming by on a Chitauri chariot; a towering mass of green leaping from building to building; a bolt of lightning thundering down where no lightning would strike; and a glint of metallic red and gold weaving among the skyscrapers. But they were high in the air and above the grit of the ground where the agents were occupied with their own struggles. Olivia did not ask Broyles about the larger-than-life heroes, but she had a feeling the word “super” would be involved in his answer.

Olivia and Peter soon found themselves isolated from the group. Spotting a small group of tourists huddling in the remains of a restaurant, they rushed over and dispatched the two Chitauri who had been threatening the terrified people. Then Peter began leading them towards the nearest subway entrance as Olivia hung back to provide cover.

She didn’t have long to wait. Before long, three Chitauri dropped to the ground from nearby buildings and darted forward, weapons firing in the direction of the civilians. As the people screamed and ran for cover, Olivia took refuge behind a half-charred taxi and began firing back at the aliens. Unlike the other Chitauri she’d encountered, however, these were more cunning; instead of running at her head-on, one of them took shelter and provided cover for two of the Chitauri, who advanced at her. Olivia managed to clip one in the shoulder with a blast from her Shockwave gun, and the alien was flung backwards. Before it could rise, Olivia shot two more blasts, which knocked it down for good.

The second Chitauri was on Olivia before she could blink. She had been distracted by the first; the second now came at her with a spear that shot blue blasts similar to their guns. The Chitauri shoved the taxi aside, knocking Olivia’s Shockwave gun away in the process. As the blade of the spear lunged at her torso, Olivia blocked it and jumped aside. Trapping it between her forearms, she grabbed the spear and twisted it away. In one smooth movement, she spun the weapon around and used it against her opponent, firing one powerful blast at the alien’s middle. It collapsed to the ground. Before the third Chitauri could retaliate from its shelter behind a car, Olivia fired two more shots from the spear, and the vehicle flipped over to crush the alien underneath.

Olivia realized she was shaking. That fight had been too close.

She dropped the spear, and was about to reach for her Shockwave gun, when the sound of a child’s scream made her whirl around. The last two of the civilians from the restaurant were a mother and daughter. The woman, who was carrying her young daughter over her shoulder, was running from the conflict and couldn’t see the impending danger behind her – a smoking Chitauri chariot falling from the sky and hurtling towards them.

Olivia didn’t stop to think. In a burst of energy, she sprinted over and threw herself in front of the mother and daughter. Standing between them and the falling debris, she closed her eyes and instinctively threw her arm up as if to stop the inevitable oncoming collision.

It never happened.

After a moment of stillness, Olivia opened her eyes to see the alien chariot frozen in midair in front of her outstretched hand. It hovered there, suspended, for a long second as Olivia’s head pounded. Then it dropped straight down to the ground in front of her feet. Behind her, the mother and daughter escaped from the danger, unaware of what had just occurred. But Olivia wasn’t the only witness to her feat.

As the agent turned away, still shaken, her eyes caught a lone figure standing less than a block away down the street. It was a man clad in clothes made up of the red, white, and blue of the American flag. The bodies of Chitauri were littered around his feet, evidence of his fighting prowess. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his face covered by mask and helmet, but his stunned expression was still visible.

The two of them stared at each other for a fleeting moment as Olivia debated whether to run or stand her ground. Before she could react, an explosion close by caused the man to jump to action and dash away. Before he rounded the corner, however, he gave one last glance at Olivia before disappearing from sight.

“Olivia, I got the group to the station – are you ok?”

At the sound of Peter’s voice over their communicators, Olivia relaxed slightly.

“…Yeah,” she replied finally, forcing her voice to be steady. She picked up her Shockwave gun off the ground, her hand still trembling, and made her way back to her husband. “Yeah, I’m fine.”


	8. Crazy concept

It had been two weeks since the Battle of New York, and Steve Rogers couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. Not just the battle itself, which had shaken him even after it had ended with the fall of the Chitauri and Loki. No – what was bothering him was those two minutes on the ground. What he had seen…

He could wrap his mind around SHIELD, around gods like Thor and Loki, even around the possibility of an alien army that was trying to invade Earth (that one was a little harder, but after the fighting started, he hadn’t had a lot of time to stop and marvel at the idea). But he could hardly believe what he had seen that short moment on the street.

After mulling it over and unsuccessfully trying to google various versions of the words “magic”, “power”, and “hovering”, Steve gave up and went directly to the only experts he knew. But when he questioned Tony Stark about the existence of people with magic powers that could enable them to make heavy objects hover in the air, the genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist barely glanced at him.

“Cap, you’re talking about telekinesis.” Steve had stared at him, unfamiliar with the word. “It’s a magic power,” Stark explained, tinkering with his suit. They were in the heavily-damaged Stark Tower, where Tony planned to stay until it was rebuilt. It was coming along nicely, except that Stark had failed to replace the other letters on the tower; only the “A” remained, and it seemed that the genius wasn’t in too much of a hurry to change it.

Tony had scoffed at him, but Steve didn’t think magic was too crazy of a concept to consider. After all, only weeks ago he had been fighting a reptilian alien from outer space. Even the cosmic cube had magical elements; it wasn’t total science. But Tony seemed highly skeptical of the existence of magic and Steve’s claim that he had seen someone using magic. When Steve finally left, disappointed, Stark was still working on his Iron Man suit.

The second Steve Rogers left the building, Tony paused in the process of his work. He stared into space, thinking, then turned in his chair. With a flourish, he expanded his hologram computer and began typing rapidly, pulling up data files and flicking through them. The first database to mine was the United States Department of Defense.

“JARVIS, get me everything you have on Doctors Walter Bishop and William Bell. I just remembered something from an old lecture a long time ago…”


	9. Normal friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia and Steve drink and shoot the breeze.

It was one of those nights that came after a long day with the Avengers. What had once been a job focused mostly on meetings with the Avengers, SHIELD, the Fringe Division, and other government agencies and organizations, had now become a job with a mixed bag of responsibilities for Olivia. The Fringe leader still attended her fair share of meetings; but now, she found herself participating in some heroics of her own. When the Avengers were separated to deal with several simultaneous crises, she was sometimes recruited to lead one of the splinter teams while Captain America lead the other. Tony Stark had attempted to take on a leadership role once or twice, but after everyone realized that he had a tendency to tackle problems head-on by himself instead of directing others, the head of the New York Fringe Division had been brought in for her leadership skills.

Astrid had grown out of her role as Walter’s aide and a Fringe agent, and had transferred her skills to Avengers Tower where she worked with JARVIS to assess threats and direct the Avengers to the most important cases. Walter continued his scientific research with Peter’s help, and when scientific expertise was required on the ground, Peter would be summoned. Back at the lab, a de-Hulked Bruce Banner and Walter would put their collective genius minds together. And while Broyles still sometimes alerted the Fringe team to fringe science cases, he increasingly allowed them flexibility in their positions with the Avengers.

Olivia did not share the larger-than-life abilities of the Avengers – including the expert spies and assassins Hawkeye and Black Widow – but she made up for it with swift planning and effective directing. Working horrific and bizarre cases in the Fringe Division in Boston and New York had made her immune to the crises that the Avengers were brought in to fix. Steve Rogers was the only one of the Avengers who knew about her Cortexiphan abilities, though they never spoke about it and he was loyal enough not to tell anyone else. Olivia primarily relied on her high-tech guns, and used her abilities only as a last resort and in secret: shielding some civilians from gunfire, shorting out enemy electrical systems, slowing an Avenger’s fall so that the ground impact was minimal.

It was exhausting work to keep up with the Avengers and lead them – their personalities often clashed and they had strong opinions – and it left Olivia fatigued at the end of the day. Even then, she would have to return to Avengers Tower and write up the day’s report. Often, she finished her work so late at night that she would simply sleep overnight at the tower. She had a temporary bedroom with extra work clothes, her own bathroom, and framed pictures of Peter, Walter, Astrid, Etta, Rachel, and Ella – Ella, who was old enough now to know that she wanted to follow her aunt’s footsteps in law enforcement.

It was after one of these long days when Steve Rogers found Olivia in the shared kitchen suite where the Avengers ate their lunch. The Fringe boss was standing in front of the fridge in her dark business pants and white cotton shirt, rifling through the random leftovers of Steve’s favorite deli meats, Thor’s extraterrestrial food, Bruce Banner’s smoothie fruit, and Tony’s gluten-free waffles (no one ever saw Clint Barton or Natasha Romanoff eating except for that one time at the shwarma restaurant). It was a depressing choice for dinner options, even for the woman who used to eat dry cereal and a glass of liquor for dinner on bad nights.

“Missed dinner?”

Olivia shut the fridge door and turned to look at Steve, disgruntled.

“I got caught up in some reports,” she admitted, folding her arms and looking around the kitchen as if hoping to spot some snacks lying on the counters. “I might order some take-out, but what I really need is-”

“-a beer,” Steve finished, smiling. “I know what you mean.” When Olivia nodded, the hero paused. "There's a small place that I’ve known since the 40’s,” he said cautiously. “It’s not much, but it’s got dependable food and drinks, and good music.”

Olivia grinned.

“Sounds perfect.”

* * *

A half hour later, the Fringe agent and Captain America found themselves reclining on wooden chairs, cheeseburgers and fries demolished, swigging from beer bottles as they listened to a playlist of alternative and indie rock music. The bar was small, with an old-school feel and a laid-back atmosphere. The walls were exposed red brick, the tables and chairs dark wood, decorated with classic decorations from the various decades. The waiters were friendly and casual, often taking time to chat with some of the customers. It was easy to see why it was a favorite for Steve Rogers.

“Peter and I used to go to places like this all the time in Boston,” Olivia remarked wistfully, tipping her bottle back. “I kind of miss it.”

“It feels timeless,” Steve replied. He had changed into tan trousers and a plaid cotton shirt, a relic of the 40s. Next to Olivia, who was still in her business clothes, they were an interesting-looking duo. “I try to stop by when I can, take a break from-”

“-modern life?” Olivia interjected, smiling. “Or superheroics?”

Steve smiled.

“Both,” he admitted. “I’m not Captain America here, just Steve Rogers.”

Olivia nodded.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said agreeably. “Even I need a break once in awhile, and my name isn’t known by everyone on the planet.”

Steve made a face.

“Everyone on the planet?” Olivia chuckled at his expression.

“Yeah, everyone on the planet. You’re famous, Cap, whether you like it or not.”

The soldier looked away, taking another swig.

“I’m starting to get that impression.”

He artfully turned the conversation away from his fame and to Olivia’s experience in the Fringe Division, her rise to becoming head of the New York branch, and their shared leadership troubles. They laughed over overbearing but well-meaning superiors, commiserated over single-minded coworkers, and toasted lost team members. After comparing backgrounds, they learned that they had both lost their parents at a young age, and they had both known their future dream careers since they were children.

When the waitress came to collect their empty plates, she struck up an amiable conversation with Steve after he asked about her graduate school scholarship application. She had won the scholarship after all, and he congratulated her heartily with a smile that was friendly but not flirtatious. After she thanked him and left, Steve fell into a thoughtful silence as he gazed around the bar. Olivia, who had observed the conversation with interest, now stared at the American hero.

“Is there anyone you _can’t_ get along with?” she asked him skeptically. Steve smiled crookedly.

“Bullies,” he replied decisively. “I’ve never been able to stand bullies, or the bad guys.”

“I think it’s harder to decide who’s the bully and bad guy now,” Olivia said quietly. Even if he didn’t know it at the moment, he would learn eventually – but it wasn’t something she wanted to teach him herself. Suddenly something occurred to the woman. “Wait, why are you drinking beer? I thought alcohol doesn’t affect you.”

Steve made a face.

“It doesn’t, but I still like it. Grant me one normal thing, would you? I’m trying to blend in here.”

Olivia tipped her head back and laughed. Steve laughed along with her until people began to look around curiously. When she noticed, Olivia suppressed her chuckles until she had them under control. When Steve signaled for another round of beers, she nearly lost it again. The notion that they could blend in with normal people, or live normal lives, was something that they had abandoned a long time ago.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh like that,” Steve told Olivia after they’d calmed down and begun drinking their new beers.

“Well, get to know me more outside of work,” Olivia responded jokingly. Steve smiled.

“I’d like to,” he replied. When Olivia laughed again, he blushed and added hastily, “I mean, I’d like to spend more time with you not when we’re working. Not in a dating way-” he stumbled over his words and tried to regain his composure as Olivia just grinned at his embarrassment. “But just casually, you know, as friends.”

Olivia gestured at him with her bottle.

“You _could_ do with some more ‘normal’ friends,” she said, then added, “The Avengers don’t count.”

Steve shrugged.

“It’s not like I’m meeting new people anywhere,” he admitted. He took a swig from his bottle. “When I’m not out doing work, I’m in Avengers Tower or working out. It’s not much of a life.”

“Then you need a new one,” Olivia suggested. “Move to another city. Get a new job. The Avengers won’t be needed as a group forever; you guys have been doing less and less lately. Go find your own way, and if the world needs the Avengers again, they’ll know where to find you.”

“I think you’re right.” Steve gave her a small smile. “See, this is why it’s good to have normal friends – they give good advice.”

Olivia smiled.

“I try.” She held up her bottle, and they toasted. “To normal friends.”

“To normal friends.”

* * *

  **A/N:** Want to read a funny review of Captain America: Winter Soldier [that I wrote](http://thosefloatingwords.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/movie-review-captain-america-the-winter-soldier-major-spoilers/)?


End file.
